Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy may well have a fair point. We are operating under the terms of the 2013 Act, passed by this House, which give the Minister no role or function in the negotiating process. In some other European countries, as I understand it, the relevant Minister is the decision maker. Perhaps Deputy Curran feels that system is more appropriate but that is a matter for this House to decide. We are operating under the existing law.

As already stated, the Minister has no role or function in the process at this point. It is exclusively the job of the HSE and the company to arrive at a solution. We are not aware of the terms or the price secured by other countries. The Government completely accepts that there is a need for this drug and wants to see this process ended as quickly as possible. As Deputy Curran knows, however, we have a responsibility to every child in the State. The drugs budget is finite. We must ensure that we do not pay over the odds for any one drug because this could result in other drugs not being made available to other very sick people.

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